Verlai Daemos
"I may fight occasionally for honour, but I do not fight with it. What's the point? Honour is the loser's comfort and, quite frankly, i'd rather win than die. My advice? Invest in a high quality sports cup - you may need it." Verlai Daemos is a relic from times that have passed from living memory; from the days that the statues of the Gods were illuminated with light and life, when Elder Dragons did not exist, the races kept to themselves and the Pale Tree was herself a sapling. With a battered and complex past, fluid alleigances and a ruthless, head-strong efficiency that go hand-in-hand with her grasp on the darker aspects of necromancy, Verlai is a nigh uncontrollable force. Though she is no longer as impulsive and destructive as she was in her younger days - preferring not to waste her time with lesser individuals - without a doubt she is a person you'd rather have on your team. History 'Childhood and her first encounter with Dhuum' Krytan born to Kabel and Serene Daemos in 1051AE, Verlai's family lived in a poor and superstition-ruled Village. When it became clear to her family that she was showing the signs of Necromancy, they hid her away in shame, claiming she had runaway. She was dumped into the cellar, and then locked away - left to die. And no doubt she would have, had it not been for Dhuum. The fallen God through his envoys whispered into her ear from the shadows of her would-be grave, teaching the child a few tricks to gain her trust - to amuse her. It was easy work, being only 13 years old and abandoned, anything that showed interest in her was delightful. Dhuum fed her and sustained her, taught her how to make green mist (a trick she enjoyed and would use for the rest of her life, 24/7) and then how to make new friends from the bodies of dead rats. As the years passed, Dhuum began to teach her the more serious spells of Necromancy. At first being common spells any Necromancer following Grenth would use. Her summoned rats watched her touch living ones and drain their life away, or to hex them with monstrous burden curses. She quickly became devoted to the voice in the void. Forgotten by everything, Dhuum gave her all she could need. She was able to freeze the blood of the rat, killing it slowly and painfully soon enough. Blood magic. Death magic. Curses. He began to teach her the forgotten spells. Dark spells he had made and Grenth had forbidden. He gave her everything. She was the perfect servant. Eventually, she was urged to tear down the cellar door. He had spent a long time filling her with rage at her parents and her village. In the tattered rags she'd worn for almost her entire teenage life she emerged from the cellar stairs, clutching a delicate cesta her only friend had given to her. Her parents and younger brother were at the table, and watched with horror as this dirty and rage-filled girl came from their memories. And she killed them all. For the omega. 'Independence and young adult life' 'Marriage, family and leaving Tyria' 'Return to Tyria' Physical Appearance The colour of her hair is Verlai's most prominent, unique and iconic feature. Until recently (the 14th century by the Mouvelian calendar), Verlai changed the appearance of her hair regularly, incorporating styles and dyes from all three continents the cultures there in. After her resurrection however, she has apparently dropped this habit and since maintained one colour and style of her hair - blue. This blue has since become her identifier and has earned her many nicknames, including the apt "Blue" and "Sky". Her original and natural hair colour is white, reminscent of a lilly, and a genetic feature of her father. Verlai is caucasian and though tanned through sun and krytan heritage she has retained a paler tone due to her long-term residence in the Far Shiverpeaks for much of her life. Her eyes are a very pale and gentle amber, and her general appearance in line with the age she typically gives - late twenties. She has two tattoos; a something-naughty tattoo on the inside of her thigh in Old Krytan, and one written on the back of her neck under her hair which reads "They Are Dying For Your Treatment", in honour of a particularly humourous incident on the Seraph campaign in the Brisban Wildlands, 1326AE. Verlai could very well have a bandaged arm at any given time. One other stand out feature is the rather horrific scar on the left side of her belly and back, though she occasionally keeps this hidden beneath a thick enchantment if she wears clothes that expose her midriff. It appears to be exactly that of something that penetrated her back right through and out the other side and then twisted and yanked about. This scar is irremovable and cursed, despite her personal attempts to be rid of it, and is the lasting legacy of her attempted assassination by her father Kabel. Personality Depending on who you are she could be delightful and charming, a great friend and mentor...Or she could be vile and a bully, arrogant and cocky. Despite this, she is more-often-than-not sympathetic to the needs of others and happy to help those who ask her for it, but will also not hesitate to prove her ferocity and cunning in seemingly cruel manners should it be needed – particularly in the defence of her family or her home. Much of what she does and how she lives her life is based on a philosophy of doing what she wants, with little care or consideration to the opinions or actions or others. She's not without morals - she understands what is right and what is wrong - however will only act rightly (or wrongly) if its in her self-interests to do so. The preservation of Verlai Daemos is paramount, although the occasional odd people manage to entrench themselves such in her life that she will defend them at cost to herself. Of course, she would state that she does this because she wants too - it's in her interest to do so. Magical Capabilities Verlai is a highly potent and capable necromancer, having had an extensive period of time to learn, shape and master her abilities in unison with a body kept at the peak of physical performance. Her personal preferences within the profession is blood magic and curses - having equipment specifically crafted for self-sacrfice and having delved into old and forgotten scripts for deadlier words. This is not to say however, that she has not a competent grasp of the various other aspects of necromancy; able to conjure minions in a variety of shape, sizes and numbers, sense and manipulate webs of lifeforce, craft and weave with spectral magic and perform great feats of death magic. Verlai values aesthetics, and strives to craft spells in battle with a certain flair whilst retaining her deadliness. On of Verlai's most valued possessions is an inscribed dagger that she nearly always has on her. Among a number of somewhat typical necromancer runes and inscriptions the blade has (mostly to do with blood magic, both increasing the power of her sacrifice whilst also diminishing the damage to her body - most usefully numbing the wounds), the dagger also carries two unique inscriptions of her own design. The first makes a target's lifeforce "heavier" if the blade draws blood in combat, potentially making the person slower in both action and thought. The second is far darker, but requires the blade to be stabbed into the target right to the hilt upon which the power of the inscription activates. The target becomes immobilised, as though their blood has frozen, and their mind becomes filled with the words of madness. Once the blade is removed - pulled out from the body - the consciousness of the target cannot cope with the shock and collapses, resulting in death. However, such power is not without a price. Verlai's own mind endures a storm of madness and pain itself alongside her victim and the use of the dagger in this way results in a permanent burden on her own consciousness - not guilt, typically, but the thinning of the line between sanity and insanity and the loosening of the threads that kept her very self together. Using the blade frequently will indefinitely result in her losing her mind and and degrading her body. To date, she has only ever hilted this blade in another person once. Alongside her necromancy and equipment, Verlai also has knowledge on much darker magic left in her mind by the presence of Dhuum, however she rarely utilises these abilities. To do so weakens the defenses she has against the ex-god's corruption and risks her defaulting back to his control. They're very much an emergency-only and last resort group of spells. Gallery verlaibydathryn.jpg|Verlai Daemos, drawn by Dathryn Valentine. verlaiandkaezel.png|Verlai Daemos and her current boyfriend, Kaezel. verlaiponders.jpg|Verlai Daemos pondering why she's not Empress of Tyria yet. Category:Character Category:Necromancer Category:Female Category:Bloody Harlots